Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Harrison Ford as Dr. Indiana Jones in ‘Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark’. (Photo Courtesy of Paramount Pictures and Disney.)

If there is one question that every creative individual in Hollywood ponders upon time and time again, it would have to be… what makes a story truly iconic? Because that is the end game for every creative out there. To create a story that is so iconic that it transcends time and is beloved by all, and it doesn’t take long for those creatives to learn… how difficult a task that can be… even though the question at hand is seemingly easy to answer. Because to create an iconic story, one needs a plot that everyone can easily engage with, and it also must feature memorable moments that cannot be replicated and of course… it much feature the perfect characters and the perfect cast. But above all… it must elicit a powerful emotional response from the audience. That kind that can only be found by rewatching the story in question. 
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Which really is a short checklist when you think about it, and with love and work… that should come together. But in reality… creating all of that is no easy task. Because all of those elements can be diminished or go sideways through the creation process, and that is why but a handful of truly iconic stories and franchises exist. For somehow, they figured out the formula and everything went right and well… since we are but days away from bidding farewell to a franchise that is genuinely iconic, it seems best to reflect upon how the Indiana Jones franchise pulled off such a feat starting with a look back at where the franchise set the standard in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. For it truly is that iconic film that really does check off all of those boxes, thanks in large part to its unique and refreshing plot.

For this is a story that uses a global and generational villain to invest us into this story. For the Nazi regime is an organization that everyone knows is evil and twisted, and the thought of them expanding their empire through the use of religious artifacts, is downright terrifying. And just like that… we’re rooting for their downfall and the one man that can stop them and well… that plot is what helps to generate the iconography in question in this film. Since Indy’s adventures around the globe to stop them from touching the Ark of the Covenant leads to powerful moments and stunning visuals that truly evoke a sense of awe from the viewer, the kind that only grows as the adventure continues along and when we aren’t watching Indy performs feats that stun us… we’re eager to learn about him and the monsters he’s chasing.

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Because every character in this story harbors depth and a completeness that is rare to find in storytelling, but even the villains feel human and of course they are all balanced out by the wonder of Indiana Jones himself, and really… it is Indy that does a lot of the heavy lifting in this story and truly helps us to come to love this story. Because while he can wield a whip in a stunning manner and takes part in acrobatic acts that seem impossible to survive at times… he feels akin… to an everyman. For he IS an everyman. After all, this is a professor we’re dealing with here, one who goes on wild adventures outside of the classroom and that oddly… makes him stunningly relatable. As though we could step into his fedora and go on similar adventures with a little effort, and that really does draw us in deeper, and it also brings forth… the final element that makes this film so perfect… the emotional response it evokes.
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For what Indiana Jones takes part in, and the odds he escapes and the places he goes, just sends the viewer’s spirit soaring. For it really does elicit wonder in our hearts and it sends that very same heart racing with adrenaline over the action sequences and of course… this is a film with a lot of emotion in it as well. Courtesy of a grandiose love story and its humor, and that everyman feeling since so much of Indy’s responses to the outcomes of these wild situations are ones that we would harbor in his shoes and well… those elements really are lightning in a bottle and truly brought forth a perfect and iconic film. And it really is a miracle that this motion picture managed to bring forth every element on the iconic film checklist since one different decision could have derailed it. But when Steven Spielberg is directing, and Lawrence Kasdan is writing, and you get Harrison Ford to play Dr. Jones… everything falls into place and this movie also reminds us of what is often lost in the quest to make that perfect movie.

In that, so many tend to worry about achieving status over the story. But clearly, it is a love letter to the serials of the 1930s and 1940s and Spielberg, Kasdan and George Lucas wanted to tell a great story, and they did above all else and the end result, is a film that has withstood the test of time, is looked upon fondly and added to the legacy of its star, Harrison Ford. Who really is electric in this story and plays and sells the everyman so well, and this is a film that should serve as the benchmark and the inspiration for those that want to create something iconic. But what’s truly amazing about this motion picture, is that it not only inspired a franchise that would continue on for forty-two years… but that same franchise would create more perfect films in the years to come, the kind we will gladly be highlighting as we continue this grand countdown to Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.

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